Australia fight to draw first Test against Pakistan

Dubai: Opener Usman Khawaja hit a fighting hundred to foil Pakistan and help Australia escape with a draw in the first Test in Dubai on Thursday.

The left-hander hit a solid 141 for his seventh Test hundred, while skipper Tim Paine (61 not out) and Travis Head (72) also hit half centuries as Australia finished at 362-8 late in the day with lights coming on at Dubai stadium.

After Khawaja was dismissed with 14.3 overs left and Yasir Shah quickly removed Mitchell Starc (one) and Peter Siddle (nought), Paine and number ten Nathan Lyon (five not out) survived 12.1 overs.

Both had some anxious moments before players shook hands with one ball to go in leg-spinner Yasir´s final over.

Yasir had shaken the Australian innings with 4-114 but Australia clung on. They have now won two and drawn two of their 16 Tests in Asia since 2012.

Australia´s hero was Khawaja, who started the day on 50 not out as Australia resumed on 136-3.

Khawaja and Head added 79 before lunch as Pakistan failed to take a wicket in the first session. The pair eventually put on an invaluable 132 runs for the fourth wicket.

Khawaja, who was born in Pakistan but moved to Australia as a child, batted for eight hours 44 minutes and faced 302 balls before he was sixth man out in the final session. He was trapped leg-before sweeping Yasir.

Khawaja, who hit 11 boundaries, had a top score of 26 in five previous Tests in Asia.

His innings was the second longest in the fourth innings of a Test, behind England´s Michael Atherton´s 645 minute vigil in scoring 185 not out against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1995. It was the highest fourth-innings score by any visiting batsman in Asia, beating New Zealand´s Daniel Vettori´s 140 made at Colombo against Sri Lanka nine years ago.

Pakistan started the day needing seven wickets to win but nothing worked for skipper Sarfraz Ahmed, despite multiple bowling changes.

Pakistan could have had Head leg-before off leg-spinner Yasir on 44, but Sarfraz did not review umpire Richard Kettleborough´s not out decision. Replays showed the ball was hitting the stumps.

Pakistan were only rewarded when they took the second new ball as soon as it was due and Hafeez trapped Head leg-before with the first ball. Australia wobbled but Khawaja and Paine, who batted for 3 hours and 39 minutes, ensured a draw.

The second Test starts in Abu Dhabi from October 16.

Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq will miss the match after he suffered a fractured finger fielding on Thursday.

Test scoreboard

Pakistan 1st innings 482 (Mohammad Hafeez 126, Haris Sohail 110, Asad Shafiq 80, Imam-ul-Haq 76; P. Siddle 3-58)

Australia 1st innings 202 (Usman Khawaja 85, A. Finch 62; Bilal Asif 6-36, Mohammad Abbas 4-29)

Pakistan 2nd innings 181-6 declared (Imam-ul-Haq 48; J. Holland 3-83)

Australia 2nd innings

A. Finch lbw b Mohammad Abbas 49

Usman Khawaja lbw b Yasir 141

S. Marsh c Sarfraz b Abbas 0

M. Marsh lbw b Abbas 0

T. Head lbw b Hafeez 72

M. Labuschagne lbw b Yasir 13

T. Paine not out 61

M. Starc c Azam b Yasir 1

P. Siddle lbw b Yasir 0

N. Lyon not out 5

Extras: (b 13, lb 4, nb 3) 20

Total: (for eight wkts; 139.5 overs) 362

Did not bat: J. Holland

Fall of wickets: 1-87 (Finch), 2-87 (S. Marsh), 3-87 (M. Marsh), 4-219 (Head), 5-252 (Labuschagne), 6-331 (Khawaja), 7-333 (Starc), 8-333 (Siddle)

Bowling: Abbas 27-7-56-3, Hafeez 6-0-29-1, Yasir 43.5-9-114-4, Riaz 16-3-42-0 (3nb), Asif 37-8-87-0, Sohail 9-1-16-0, Shafiq 1-0-1-0

Result: Drawn

Toss: Pakistan

Umpires: Richard Illingworth (ENG) and Richard Kettleborough (ENG)

Tv umpire: Sandaram Ravi (IND)

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)

AUSTRLIA 362/8

Yasir Shah to Paine, no run

Yasir Shah to Paine, no run

Yasir Shah to Paine, no run

Yasir Shah to Paine, 2 runs

Yasir Shah to Paine, 2 runs

Yasir Shah to bowl the last over

1 over to go

END OF OVER: 139 | (6 runs) | AUS: 358/8

2 overs to go

END OF OVER: 138 | (maiden) | AUS: 352/8

3 overs to go

END OF OVER:137 | (maiden) | AUS: 352/8

Four overs to go

END OF OVER:136 | (maiden) | AUS: 352/8

END OF OVER:135 | maiden | AUS: 352/8

END OF OVER:134 | 9 Runs |  AUS: 352/8

Mohammad Abbas to Paine, 2 runs, big big shout is turned down

Mohammad Abbas to Paine, FOUR

END OF OVER:133 | 4 RUNS | AUS: 343/8

Yasir Shah to Paine, no run, big appeal

END OF OVER:132 | (maiden) | AUS: 339/8

END OF OVER:131 | 4 Runs | AUS: 339/8

Bilal Asif to Paine, FOUR

END OF OVER:130 | No Run | AUS: 335/8

END OF OVER:129 | 2 Runs | AUS: 335/8

END OF OVER:128 | (wicket maiden) | AUS: 333/8

Yasir Shah to Siddle, OUT

Yasir Shah to Starc, OUT, what a catch! 

END OF OVER:127 | 2 Runs | AUS: 333/6

END OF OVER:126 | (wicket maiden) | AUS: 331/6

Yasir Shah to Khawaja, LBW, out

END OF OVER:125 | 1 Run | AUS: 331/5

END OF OVER:124 | No Run | AUS: 330/5

END OF OVER:123 | 1 Run | AUS: 330/5

Bilal Asif to Paine, no run, appeal for caught down leg side! Not out 

END OF OVER:122 | 3 Runs | AUS: 329/5

END OF OVER:121 | 2 Run | AUS: 326/5

END OF OVER: 120 | 1 Run | AUS: 324/5

END OF OVER: 119 | No Run | AUS: 323/5

Bilal Asif to Paine, no run, Huge shout for LBW! Not out says Umpire Kettleborough. Sarfraz reviews!  Big inside edge.

END OF OVER:118 | 4 Runs | AUS: 323/5

Mohammad Abbas to Paine, 2 runs, full inswinger, squeezes off a thick inside edge behind square!

END OF OVER:117 | 1 Run | AUS: 319/5

Australia now need 143 runs to win from 23 overs to pull off a remarkable victory against Pakistan. 

Dubai: Opener Usman Khawaja hit a fighting hundred to keep Pakistan´s victory bid in check as Australia reached tea at 287-5 on the final day of the first Test in Dubai.

Khawaja was unbeaten on 120 for his seventh Test century and with him skipper Tim Paine was 19 not out as Australia -- set a daunting 462-run target -- need to bat out another 31 overs for a draw.

Pakistan need five more wickets and have another 175 runs to play to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

Khawaja had added an invaluable 132 runs for the fourth wicket with Travis Head (72) as Pakistan failed to get a single wicket in the first session after Australia resumed at 136-3.

Khawaja took a single to short mid-wicket off to Mohammad Hafeez to complete his century that has so far included 11 boundaries.

No team has successfully chased more than the 418-7 West Indies made against Australia in the Antigua Test in 2003.

Pakistan had expected early wickets after jolting Australia to 136-3 at the close on the fourth day, but nothing worked for skipper Sarfraz Ahmed, who made multiple bowling changes.

Pakistan could have had Head leg-before off leg-spinner Yasir Shah on 44, but Sarfraz did not review English umpire Richard Kettleborough´s not out decision when replays showed the ball hitting the wickets.

Pakistan were only rewarded after lunch when they took the second new ball as soon as it was due and Hafeez trapped Head leg-before with the first ball.

Yasir Shah took his first in the match when he dismissed Marnus Labuschagne for 13.